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Berthoud's EnergyLogic wins EPA award

Company honored for sixth year in a row for its work with the Energy Star efficiency program

By Craig Young Reporter-Herald Staff Writer

Posted:
04/29/2014 05:48:42 PM MDT

Updated:
04/29/2014 05:59:26 PM MDT

Tyler Stein with EnergyLogic of Berthoud performs a blower door test Tuesday as part of a final inspection test on a new home in east Loveland. EnergyLogic recently won an Energy Star Partner of the Year Sustained Excellence award for its work. (Jenny Sparks)

The Environmental Protection Agency has honored a Berthoud company for the sixth year in a row for its work to save energy and reduce pollution.

On Tuesday, EnergyLogic of Berthoud and 135 other companies and organizations nationwide were recognized at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., for their work with the EPA's Energy Star program.

The company won an Energy Star Partner of the Year — Sustained Excellence award. The only other Colorado honoree was Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver.

“This is the sixth year running that we've pulled this off,” said Steve Byers, a principal with EnergyLogic along with his wife, Wynne Maggi, and Robby Schwarz. The company wasn't able to send a representative to the ceremony this year, he said.

Tyler Stein with EnergyLogic of Berthoud performs a blower door test Tuesday as part of a final inspection test on a new home in east Loveland. EnergyLogic recently won an Energy Star Partner of the Year Sustained Excellence award for its work. (Jenny Sparks)

EnergyLogic focuses its work on energy efficiency in three areas, Byers said: working with builders and homeowners to ensure a building's energy efficiency; training energy-efficiency professionals worldwide; and developing and licensing software.

Work with Homebuilders

Its work with builders and other professionals earned it the Energy Star award.

Energy Star is a voluntary program of the federal government launched in 1992 under the Clean Air Act that is intended to reduce air pollution through energy-efficiency strategies and technologies, according to the program's website.

New homes, commercial buildings, industrial plants and products such as appliances and building materials can earn Energy Star certification.

For a homebuilder to be able to advertise its houses as Energy Star homes, it must pass inspections by a third-party certifier such as EnergyLogic.

Last year, EnergyLogic worked with more than 90 builders and 80 “home energy raters” in Colorado to verify more than 1,600 Energy Star-certified homes, according to the EPA.

In addition to providing raters to inspect the homes under construction and provide the rating, EnergyLogic trains home energy raters, certifiying more than 250 over the years.

“We work with the builder through every stage of the process” to plan and then verify the energy efficiency of a home under construction, Byers said.

Audits for Homeowners

EnergyLogic also contracts with local utilities, such as Fort Collins Utilities, to provide energy audits for homeowners.

“In Fort Collins, it's a very intensive audit,” he said. “We test systems, we use infrared thermography to look the performance of a home. Our objective is to assess everything in the home and produce a report that gives the homeowners some guidance of what they should do.”

Byers said the company has been growing, even through the tough years of the housing market collapse, and now employs 46 people.

U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado, who has recently introduced two bills dealing with energy-efficient construction and renovation, praised EnergyLogic for its efforts.

“Building energy-efficient homes and making energy-efficient upgrades are good for business and good for the environment,” Bennet said in a written statement.

“Colorado firms like EnergyLogic are leading the way, and this award by the EPA and the DOE (Department of Energy) is a well-deserved and earned distinction,” he said.

Contact Reporter-Herald Staff Writer Craig Young at 970-635-3634 or cyoung@reporter-herald.com. Follow him at www.twitter.com/CraigYoungRH.

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